Demolition of Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, which began last spring, has been temporarily delayed, The Detroit Free Press reports. The expected completion date has been moved from March to June as crews wait for specialized equipment to arrive from the West Coast.
According to John Roach, a spokesman for the city of Detroit, demolition was also stopped to service a utility line near the arena that is being switched from the city’s to DTE Energy's electrical grid.
The projected $12 million cost of the demolition is being paid for by the city, which currently owns the site. Detroit-based Adamo Group is the primary demolition contractor.
Detroit City Council voted Nov. 5, 2019, to approve a development agreement for the site with local developer Sterling Group. As part of the redevelopment deal, the Sterling Group was to receive future rights to the arena property from a former city of Detroit creditor, New York-based Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. The Sterling Group has not disclosed what will be built on-site once Joe Louis Arena is demoed, but city documents show the company envisions “a high-density mixed-use development" project.